Bread and Tulips

After enrolling at Milan University to study political science, at the age of 21 Silvio Soldini abandoned his studies and travelled to New York to enrol in a cinema course. After making several short films (including “Drimage” in 1982), he returned to Milan and filmed "Paesaggio con figure” (1983), his first 16 mm medium-length feature film, which he presented at a number of festivals including Locarno and Bellaria. Meanwhile, together with other cinema buffs (including Luca Bigazzi, who subsequently became the director of photography on all his films), he founded the Bilicofilm production company. His directorial debut came with the well-made female portrait “Giulia in ottobre” (1985), a medium-length film that won first prize at Bellaria; between 1985 and 1989 he concentrated on a number of independent films, shown only in art house cinemas or on the small screen (for example, the intense “Antonio e Cleo”, a segment of “Provvisorio, quasi d’amore”). With “The peaceful air of the West (L’aria serena dell’Ovest)” (1990), Soldini made his first feature length film debut: the film – presented in the official selection at Locarno and at various international film festivals – is a sharp reflection on the difficulty of life in today’s western world and avails of a talented cast. In 1993 Soldini repeated this success with “A soul split in two (Un’anima divisa in due)” (presented in competition at the Venice Film Festival, where actor Fabrizio Bentivoglio won the Volpi Cup for best leading man), the painful story of an impossible relationship between a Milanese security man and a young Romany girl: in 1997 meanwhile he directed “The acrobat (Le acrobate)”, an agreeable, effective analysis of the lives of three women that was also decorated with prestigious awards and presented in competition at Locarno. In 2000 Soldini made “Bread and tulips (Pane e tulipani)”, which received resounding approval not just from critics, as usual, but also from cinema-goers themselves (distributed worldwide, the film won Donatello awards and 5 silver ribbons): the tone is this time that of a comedy, but Soldini’s hand is clearly visible in the portrait of the intense female character around whom the film revolves. In 2002 the director made “Burning in the wind (Brucio nel vento)”: the Italian entry at the Berlin film festival, adapted from the novel “Hier” by Agota Kristof, the film marks a not entirely successful return to the dramatic register. In 2004 with “Agata and the storm (Agata e la tempesta)” the director made a rather unsuccessful foray into the comedy genre, but the film fails to come together satisfactorily.

“Agata e la tempesta” (2004) marked a new production (obtaining less success and with a less happy ending) by the movie-director in the comedy genre. He directed “Giorni e nuvole” in 2007, which was presented during the second edition of the Rome Film Festival. The film portrays the life of a middle-aged man who loses his job and how this influences every other aspect of his life, depriving him of his dignity and of his courage. In “Cosa voglio di più” (aka “Come Undone”) the movie-maker skilfully outlined how impossible it is to follow one’s dreams when these clash up against the certainties of normality. —RAI